


The Charmed Life

by thisisntreallymeimnotreallyhere



Category: Supernatural
Genre: College!AU, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, M/M, Soulmates, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-11
Updated: 2015-09-11
Packaged: 2018-04-20 06:49:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4777592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisisntreallymeimnotreallyhere/pseuds/thisisntreallymeimnotreallyhere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Cas have matching Soulmate Charms. Cas knows, Dean does not. Will it all end in tears? Hint: definitely not!</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Charmed Life

**\----- High School Graduation -----**

Dean has been downplaying it all year but the truth was, he was really excited. Earlier this year he secretly applied to the University of Kansas and had been accepted. He didn’t want to tell his parents until he was sure that he could get a scholarship. As far as they knew he was still planning on going to the local community college. But for once, things worked out in Dean’s favor. He got his financial aid package this afternoon and it was better than he had hoped for.

He felt elated as he walked across the stage to get accept his high school diploma. Principal Singer gave him a quiet, “Well done, son,” as he walked past. When his name was called he heard his family erupt into cheers. It was just him mom, his dad, and Sammy, but all three of them sure made one hell of a racket.

Since the graduates were called according to their last names, it wasn’t long before the ceremony was over. Dean  walked to the back of the auditorium where his family was waiting. He was bursting with excitement and couldn’t wait to tell them the good news about KSU. It turns out Dean wasn’t the only with a surprise. Sammy was bouncing on his toes when Dean finally joined them.

“Can I give it to him now?” he asked Mary.

“We were gonna wait to give it to him at dinner,” Mary reminded Sam, but the smile on her face gave away how excited she was too. “It’s up to Dean.”

“I have something for all of you, too,” Dean said. “Well, some good news to tell you. Do you want to hear it now or later?”

“Let’s hear it, son,” John said, clapping him on the shoulder.

So Dean told them about his admission to his dream school, and about the scholarship that would make it possible for him to attend. When he was done, all three of his family members had wide smiles on their faces.

“We’re so proud of you, Dean!” Mary beamed.

“Let’s go over the details later, Dean,” John said. “We’ll make sure everything is in place before we drop you off.” John wasn’t a man of many words, but Dean could tell by the twinkle in his eye that he was just as proud as Mary.

“Now it’s our turn!” Sammy said, tugging at Mary’s arm.

“OK,” she laughed and reached into her purse. “Dean, we all chipped in, even Sammy, to buy you something special for your graduation.” She handed Dean a small, square box that was neatly wrapped in _Congratulations Grad_! wrapping paper. Dean was halfway through unwrapping it when he froze in surprise. The company logo on the top of the box gave away the contents. But it couldn’t be… could it?

It was common practice when a baby was born to generate a series of numbers that were unique to them. Dean doesn’t fully understand the process, but it had something to do with the time and place they are born, plus certain numbers from their DNA sequence, all combined together to create their Soul Number, as it was commonly called.

Everyone knows their Soul Number, but sometimes people find creative ways to show it off. Tattoos were the cheap way to do it. The most exclusive way was to turn your Number into a piece of music. However, the most common way was to turn your Number into a small charm. It was expensive, which is why not everyone had one. But it was said that when you found the person who had the same charm as you, you found your soulmate. Dean had always been curious as to what his charm would look like but he never thought he would have the chance to find out.

And yet, here he was, holding a box that he _knew_ had his charm inside.

“We thought you might like this before you left for college,” Mary explained gently.

“Are you going to open it?” Sammy asked.

Dean looked up at his dad who gave a small nod of encouragement. Slowly, Dean unwrapped the rest of the box and opened the lid. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but he was excited by what he saw. The charm looked like a circle of flames with a star in the center and angel wings on the sides. The wings were black, the flames were red, and the star was either blue or green, depending on the angle. The whole thing looked menacing, but it made Dean feel safe at the same time.

“Thanks, guys,” he said. “I just… this is great.” He ducked his head to try to hide his blush.

“You’re welcome, son. You deserve it,” John said.

“Let me see!” Sammy said, barging into Dean’s personal space. The brothers admired the charm for a few minutes before Mary asked for their attention.

“Let’s get a family pictured. Dean, put on your charm!”

“Mom,” Dean whined. But he was secretly thrilled when he placed the necklace over his head and felt the charm rest against his chest. Maybe somewhere his soulmate felt the same weight against her chest. Maybe she got her charm as a graduation present too. Dean couldn’t wait to find out.

\-----

It was almost the end of summer and Castiel couldn’t wait to move out. He was counting down the days until he left for college. Hopefully, this would be a permanent change for him. He was tired of living with his family. He was ready to leave.

He had been emailing his new roommate, Dean, for most of the summer. They had agreed to exchange pictures so that they would recognize each other when they finally met in person. Castiel had sent his senior picture to Dean who had replied by sending a photo from his graduation. “It’s a picture of me and my family,” Dean explained in his email. “So you know who I’m talking about when I talk about my family.”

The first time Castiel had looked at the picture he hadn’t noticed anything unusual. Dean was traditionally good looking, he realized, but Castiel was usually more attracted to a person’s personality. Everyone in the picture was beaming with happiness. Castiel envied them a little bit and hoped that he would one day be part of a family that was as happy as the Winchesters. It wasn’t until he looked at the picture more closely that he noticed something familiar.

Dean was wearing a Soul Charm. That in itself wasn’t unusual, but it was the shape of the charm that had Castiel’s breath catching in his throat. He subconsciously pulled at the charm on his own necklace. Castiel couldn’t see all the details in the picture, but he could tell that his charm and Dean’s charm were the exact same shape. Dean’s charm even had the same coloring.

Instead of feeling excited (like people told him he would when he found his soulmate), Castiel was scared. Above all else, he wanted to have a normal college experience. Being emotionally tied to another person as soon as he escaped his possessive family would be too much. He needed space, he needed to grow into his own person.

He decided to hide his charm from Dean just in case.

**\----- First Semester, Freshman Year -----**

Dean was having the time of his life! He loved his classes, he loved meeting so many new people, and oddly enough he loved his roommate. Well, he didn’t _love_ love him, but he got along with him. Really well, actually. Sure, the guy was kind of weird, but it was a good weird. Plus, he’s a neat freak, just like Dean, so their room was always spotless.

Dean couldn’t believe how fast the time was going. Wasn’t it just last month that his family dropped him off? No, that was almost two months ago. It’s almost time for Thanksgiving Break, he realized one afternoon on his way back to his dorm. Normally, he would be meeting Charlie and Benny for lunch, but Dean forgot his calculator in his room so he had to go get it before his next class.

Dean mentally went over Cas’ schedule. It was Tuesday afternoon so Cas should be between classes. But he had had the breakfast shift at the cafeteria this morning which meant he was probably taking a nap. Dean opened the door quietly so as not to wake him up. The room was surprisingly empty. Huh, weird. Dean grabbed his calculator and shoved it into his bag. Now all he had to do is brush his teeth and head back to class.

The last thing he expected to see when he walked into the bathroom was a half naked Cas. Well, the second to last thing, actually. The _absolute_ last thing that he expected to see was his charm hanging from Cas’ necklace. Dean reached up to grab his charm, making sure that it was still there. For some reason it made more sense for Cas to have stolen Dean’s charm, than for Cas to have the exact same charm as Dean.

Dean stood there in shock, just staring as Cas.

“Hello, Dean,” Cas said, pulling his towel a little tighter around his waist, but otherwise acting very nonchalant. “What’s wron--” Cas suddenly froze when he saw what Dean was staring at. Quick as lightning, Cas reached up to cover his charm, but it was too late.

“How… We…” Dean stuttered.

“Don’t panic,” Cas told him.

“What do you mean, don’t panic!” Dean yelled. “We have the same Soul Charm!” Cas nodded in agreement. “Wait! Did you know?!”

“Um…,” Cas began. At least he had the decency to blush and look away. “It was in the photo you sent me over the summer.”

“I can’t… What?! Why didn’t you tell me?!”

“Dean, please don’t shout.”

“I CAN SHOUT IF I WANT TO, CAS!” Dean practically bellowed. “This is kind of a big deal, especially since we’re roommates! Why didn’t you tell me?!” Dean could hear the panic starting to creep into his voice.

“I… I didn’t want to upset you?”

Dean could feel his heart beating a mile a minute. Any second now he was going to start hyperventilating. Cas must have noticed since he sighed and offered more of an explanation.

“I didn’t want to put any kind of expectation on our relationship, especially since, as you pointed out, we’re roommates. I thought that if I hid my charm that you would never know, and it wouldn’t matter.”

"Listen, I can't... I'm not... God, this is messed up. I thought we were friends!"

“We were. We are! These charms don’t mean anything. For all we know, it could mean that we’re destined for a deep friendship.”

Dean gave him a dubious look. “I’m not gay, Cas,” was how he chose to respond. He was sorry the minute he said it because of the way Cas flinched away from him.

“Of course,” Cas said quietly. “I would never have asked you for anything like that.”

Dean softened a little at the look on Cas’ face. He couldn't blame Cas. After all, if the situation had been reversed, what would Dean have done? He probably would have panicked and turned the situation into a huge mess. Cas had the decency to keep his mouth shut, at least.

“OK, I’m just gonna… I need to think about this,” Dean said. He turned and left without waiting for Cas’ reply.

\-----

It was a few days into Thanksgiving break. Cas had decided to stay on campus instead of going back to visit his family. Dean had left a few days ago, so Cas had the whole room to himself. Even so, he spent most of his free time in the library. The room seemed smaller somehow without Dean there.

Dean, who had tried to be polite to him after their fight. Dean, who still brought him an extra cookie when he came back from dinner. Dean, who was still mad at him. Cas could tell by the way Dean tensed every time they were alone. He tried to hide it, bless him, but Cas knew it was no use. He knew that Dean knew that they were soulmates. And the first thing Cas had done was disappoint him.

It was Tuesday afternoon when Cas finally got fed up with waiting. He pulled out his phone with the intention of texting Dean -- best to get this over with -- when he realized that he already had a message waiting for him. From Dean. How did he miss that?

**Dean:** I hope you’re doing OK by yourself. Sorry we didn’t get a chance to talk before I left. Don’t forget to turn off the hot pot or you’ll burn down the dorm.

Cas stared at the text for a few moments trying to figure out what Dean was trying to say. It slowly dawn on Cas that Dean wasn’t the type to write a message with a hidden meaning. Dean was always honest (Cas really admired that about him) which meant that Dean really was sorry that they didn’t have a chance to talk, and he really was worried that Cas was going to burn down the dorm.

**Cas:** I’m spending most of my time at the library. I’m sorry too that we didn’t get to talk. I unplugged the hot pot so you don’t have to worry.

Cas was surprised when Dean responded right away.

**Dean:** I thought about requesting a new roommate…

Cas’ heart sank at the admission, but he noticed that Dean was still typing so he waited for the rest.

**Dean:** But I decided not to.

Castiel let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. What did he say now? "I'm glad?" Even if he was glad, he didn't want to accidentally put any pressure on Dean.  Dean had made it clear that he wasn't interested in a romantic relationship and that was just fine with Cas. He wanted to focus on starting his classes anyway.

**Dean:** Let's see how the rest of the school year goes. We can talk about it again before summer break.

**Cas:** Good idea. Now go enjoy your time with your family. It's still Thanksgiving. :)

**Dean:** Thanks, Cas. Don't spend all your time at the library. :)

Cas put his phone away with a smile. He decided to head back to his room and watch Star Trek. He knew it was one of Dean's favorites, and maybe it was a little sentimental, but he wanted to be able to talk to Dean about it when Dean got back. Because that's what friends and roommates did, right? They talked about things.

_What about friends and roommates and soulmates?_  Cas wondered.

**\----- Spring Break, Senior Year -----**

Dean was nervous. There was no reason to be nervous since nothing had really changed. And yet, everything had changed.

He and Cas had gotten along great after that Thanksgiving holiday three and a half years ago. They decided to stay roommates, moving into a townhouse just off campus with three of their friends: Charlie, Jo, and Zeke. The five of them got along great. Dean would count all of them as his close friends. But somewhere along the way he and Cas had become became best friends.

Dean assumed it was natural since they were soulmates. He assumed that being best friends would be all they would ever be. But one night, right after New Years, he and Cas were sitting across from each other, studying at the kitchen table. Cas was twirling a pen between his fingers, his mouth pinched in concentration.

_God, he's cute when he does that_ , Dean thought before he could stop himself. And that was it. That had been the moment that Dean had realized that Cas was more than his best friend. In fact, Dean wasn't sure how he had managed to stay in denial for so long.

He had learned a lot about himself over the past three and a half years. One of the things he learned was that he was as equally interested in men as he was in women. (Sammy had a fancy name for it, but Dean wasn't interested in labels.) And now here he was, on Spring Break with his soulmate and secret crush, and Dean was _not_ nervous, thank you very much.

Jealous was a better word. Cas looked amazing in a bathing suit, showing off his smooth and tan skin. Spending all day at the beach made Cas' hair messy and wind blown, which only made him look more attractive in Dean's opinion. Other people seemed to notice too, since several strangers had come up to flirt with Cas. Cas talked to them politely but never flirted back. Eventually, the strangers would leave, for which Dean was grateful. It had been a long three days.

As was typical, there was a large party going on in the pool area of their hotel that night. Charlie had gone off with some girl, informing Dean that he didn't need to wait up for her. Jo had naturally become the unofficial bartender of the party and was happily mixing drinks for people. Dean looked around but couldn't find Cas anywhere. Maybe he had gone to the bathroom? Dean decided to go check on him.

As Dean turned down the hallway to their room he saw something that made his heart stop. Cas was in the hallway, but he wasn't alone. He was there with a girl. He was there _kissing_ a girl. Dean tried to turn away, to get out of there as fast as possible, but he tripped over a potted plant in his hurry to escape. The noise must have startled Cas because the next thing he knew Cas was at his side helping him up.

"Are you OK?" Cas asked. He wasn't letting go of Dean's arm even though Dean had regained his balance.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. I just..."

"Everything alright?" the girl asked, sliding up to Cas and slipping her arm around his waist.

Dean froze. How dare she act so possessive over Cas when Cas' soulmate was standing right in front of her! Dean wasn't sure if he wanted to run back to the party or hide out in his room for the rest of the night. He just knew that he didn't want to see Cas with anyone else. Cas must have noticed him tense up since he began to rub soothing circles on Dean's arm.

"Actually, Meg, would you mind giving us a minute?"

Thankfully, the girl shrugged and walked away. Dean wanted to yell after her, "Don't you know he's worth fighting for!" but he kept his mouth shut. Cas was looking at him with a combination of amusement and concern.

“She surprised me,” Cas explained. “I’ve been trying to get rid of her all night.”

Dean opened his mouth to reply, but he had nothing to say. At least, he had nothing to say that Cas would want to hear.

"You've had too much to drink," Cas said, but it sounded more like a question.

"No, I'm fine," Dean answered. And to prove his point he shrugged off Cas's hand and stood up straight.

"You seem upset," Cas observed, and there was no question in his voice this time.

Of course Dean was upset. He was upset that he had been in love his Cas for so long without realizing it. He was upset that someone else had been kissing Cas. He was upset that college would be over soon and he might lose Cas for good.

"Damn it," he murmured. He grabbed the necklace that held Cas' charm and pulled him in for a kiss before he lost his nerve.

\-----

Cas froze when his lips finally met Dean's. This was the last thing he had been expecting. Dean had been acting a little distant lately, so Cas had given him some space. He had promised Dean all those years ago that he wouldn't put any expectations on their friendship. But, God, he had wanted to.

Dean had turned out to be funny and kind and smart. It hadn't taken long for Cas to fall in love with him. But Dean had told Cas that he wasn't gay, and for all Cas knew that was still true.  Except now Dean was kissing him. Dean was pushing him against the wall and pressing their bodies together. And Cas, despite all the fantasies he had had about this very situation, was frozen in shock.

Dean must have noticed because he broke the kiss and started to pull away. Cas realized that if he let Dean walk away now, Dean would avoid him for the rest of the semester, then they wouldn't be roommates anymore, and Cas would have missed his opportunity. He grabbed Dean's hips and pulled him back. He rested his forehead against Dean's so that his soulmate wouldn't go too far.

"Dean," Cas sighed. It was the only thing he could think of to say -- the only thing he wanted to say. Cas could feel the puffs of air against his lips as Dean tried to catch his breath. It made Cas shiver in anticipation and excitement. "Don't stop," he whispered.

Dean kissed him again. This time Cas matched him kiss for kiss.

**\----- Six Months Later -----**

Dean was sitting cross-legged on his bed, his laptop perched on a pile of pillows. He and Cas had a Skype date in a few minutes and Dean wasn’t going to miss it for the world. They hadn’t talked to each other since last week. They hadn’t seen each other in person for three weeks. Dean was practically vibrating with the need to see and hear Cas.

No one had been surprised when they got back from Spring Break and announced that they were a couple. In fact, Dean’s pretty sure he saw Charlie collecting bets later that night. When Dean tried to protest, Cas had just laughed and pulled him in for a kiss. Dean had quickly forgotten what his argument was going to be.

After graduation, Dean started an internship in Lawrence, so he moved back in with his parents. Luckily, Cas got an internship in nearby Topeka. They saw each other almost every night for three months. Dean even invited Cas to spend the 4th of July holiday with him and his family. It made Dean inordinately happy to see Cas become friends with Sam. His mom and dad even started calling the guest room “Cas’ room”, since they seemed to realize that Cas was here to stay.

But all good things must come to an end. When September rolled around, Cas left to start a grad program in Boston. Dean managed to find a job in New York City, but it was too far for them to see each other as often as they had over the summer. So they set up regular Skype dates and pretended that it was enough.

Dean smiled when he saw that Cas had signed on. It was a little before 7:00 but Dean was too eager to wait. He started the call.

\-----

Cas set his cup of tea down and signed into Skype. If he knew his soulmate at all, Dean would already be waiting for him. And sure enough, almost as soon as he signed in, Dean was calling him. Cas smiled and accepted the call.

“Dude, this sucks!” was the first thing he heard Dean say.

“What happened, did your boss give you a hard time again?”

“No, I mean this,” Dean gestured at the screen. “I want to be there with you.”

“It won’t be long before Thanksgiving,” Cas pointed out.

“We’re going to spend all weekend in bed,” Dean declared. Cas smiled and nodded in agreement. Suddenly, he was struck by a wave of nostalgia.

“Remember our first Thanksgiving as roommates?” he asked quietly. He expected Dean to brush off the question or try to change the subject, but instead Dean threw his head back and laughed.

“Oh man,” Dean said, catching his breath. “I can’t believe I didn’t think I was gay for you!”

This time it was Cas to threw his head back and laughed. Dean leaned in close to the screen, as if that would make him somehow closer to Cas.

“We could have had four years together,” Dean whispered, like he was telling Cas a secret.

“We _had_ four years together, Dean,” Cas reminded him.

“Yeah, but,” Dean started, trailing off without finishing. Cas didn’t want Dean to regret anything about their relationship. After all, their friendship had been the perfect foundation for them to build their romance on.

“We weren’t ready then,” Cas told him. “We might have been soulmates, be we weren’t ready.” When Dean looked up he still had a solemn look on his face. “We’re ready now, though, right?” Cas asked cautiously.

That had Dean perking up with a smile on his face. “Hell, yeah!” was his enthusiastic answer.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Love it? Want more? Leave comments/kudos, or come visit me on tumblr!


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